User's Guide to HYDRA's Enhanced Manpower Asset
by Rokhal
Summary: A classic fandom form finds its killer application.


**User's Guide to HYDRA's Enhanced Manpower Asset**

**Updated 2014**

Proficiency. Loyalty. Silence.

Thank-you for taking custody of HYDRA's Enhanced Manpower Asset in furtherance of HYDRA's operational goals. Your gift of facilities, financial support, intelligence, and leadership will do you credit in the new world order. Please read the following instructions, requirements, and caveats carefully.

Received Material

You are provided with the following equipment:

a) Enhanced Manpower Asset

This unit is a human Caucasian male standing 6'1" weighing 270lb with brown hair and blue eyes. The left arm is a prosthesis weighing 55lb composed of an adamantium-reinforced titanium alloy.

b) Cryostasis Chamber

This unit is an airtight steel cylinder weighing 2500lb incorporating two layers of vacuum to minimize heat conduction. Internal temperature of the active cryostasis chamber is -40 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

c) Transcortical Electroconvulsive Therapy Chair

This unit is a steel-frame chair with fiberglass belts and leather upholstery capable of restraining the Enhanced Manpower Asset while delivering transcortical electrical stimulation through two form-fitting electrodes for routine behavioral calibration.

d) Cybernetic Maintenance Equipment

This unit comprises a tool case containing non-toxic lubricants, a grease gun, WD-40, soldering and welding equipment, precision tools, and replacement armor plating and batteries for the Asset's left arm prosthesis.

e) Protective Clothing

This unit comprises three battle dress uniforms of the insignia and camouflage pattern of your choice, two Kevlar-reinforced leather flak jackets, two Kevlar-reinforced sets of canvas trousers, two sets of broken-in boots, twelve pairs of socks and boxers, two low-profile filtration masks, and two sets of low-profile protective augmented reality and night-vision goggles.

f) Exercise Equipment

This unit comprises a set of twelve kettle weights ranging from 30 to 150lb, a gymnast's horse, and 1lb of chalk dust.

g) Pharmaceuticals

This unit comprises a locked chest of proprietary compounds for behavioral calibration, sleep regulation, sedation, anaesthesia, analgesia, cortical stimulation, immobilization, learning enhancement, hydration, and nutrition for use with the Enhanced Manpower Asset. Diversion of these compounds for other uses is strictly prohibited and likely to result in severe illness or death.

On-site Specifications

The Asset is accompanied by two to four highly-trained maintenance technicians who will manage the physiological, behavioral, and mechanical upkeep of the Asset and associated equipment. Defer to these technicians on all points of inquiry regarding the Asset's capabilities and limitations. The Asset, technical support staff, and accoutrements come to you in a semi-trailer camouflaged with the company logos of your choice (Sisco, Allied Uniform, and Coca-Cola are popular choices in the United States). Please allow the maintenance technicians full access to your facility to confirm the adequacy of (a) power supply (b) ventilation and (c) square footage before beginning to unload. The facility requirements are as follows:

a) Grounded AC or DC electric power supplying at least 400 kilojoules per minute and no greater than 1000 kilojoules per minute. A utility power supply, a Stark G-series microgenerator, or a 450hp diesel generator is sufficient. The Hammer mimic of the G-series microgenerator is not recommended for use with the Enhanced Manpower Asset.

b) Ventilation capable of changing five square meters of air per minute is sufficient. Ambient temperature should be maintained between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

c) At least 15x15' of floorspace are required for cryostasis and behavioral management equipment and 8x8' are required for housing of the deployed Asset. If additional skill training is desired (see section 5), it is your responsibility to provide appropriate facilities, e.g. gymnasium, target range, driving course.

d) Door clearance of at least 8' vertical and 6' horizontal.

Once your facility receives on-site approval, the maintenance technicians will disconnect the cryostasis chamber from its transport power supply and transfer it to the deployment site using the onboard forklift. Approximately thirty minutes are required for this crucial step. It is your responsibility to protect the maintenance technicians from observation or interruption.

Once the Asset and all associated equipment have been transferred to your facility, the transport semi-trailer should be parked in an inconspicuous area. Please allow time for the maintenance technicians to rest and recover. Provision of three-star hotel accommodations and a $200 daily stipend for meals and transportation is suggested.

Deployment of the Enhanced Manpower Asset

The Asset will be deployed at your request. Deployment proceeds in two stages:

1) Revival from cryostasis

During cryostasis reversal, the cryostasis chamber draws up to 350 kilojoules of power and vents up to fifteen liters of nitrogen gas per minute. This process lasts for six hours. After cryostasis is reversed, the Asset receives myoelectrostimulation, intravenous nutrition and antioxidants, and a physical exam. If at any time an abnormality that would impair the Asset's effectiveness in the field or jeopardize its health or function is discovered, you will be notified and your mission will not proceed.

2) Behavioral calibration

After the Asset's vital functions have stabilized, it will undergo low-frequency transcortical electrostimulation for 10 to 40 minutes. This process abolishes the Asset's historical memory and prepares it to imprint on your mission, preserving HYDRA's internal secrecy (silence) and clarifying its objective (loyalty). It is your responsibility to soundproof your facility or remove civilians and extraneous personnel from the area before this time. After transcortical electrostimulation, it will receive a neurological exam and its cybernetic parts will be charged and lubricated.

Using the Enhanced Manpower Asset

After deployment, you must brief the Asset on your mission goals and operational environment. Some considerations:

1) Capabilities of the Enhanced Manpower Asset

a) Physical capabilities

The Asset boasts accelerated healing, higher peak cardiac output and VO2 max, more rapid and forceful muscular contraction, and higher pain tolerance compared to an unimproved human. This translates to an unmatched athletic capacity. The cybernetic arm component is comparable in torque to a Jaws of Life device and in speed to a human arm (see attached file for specifications).

b) Combat skills

The Asset is proficient in Spetznaz close quarters combat techniques. It is compatible with over 50 models of small firearms and several classes of ground, sea, and air vehicles (see list). New combat skills may be incorporated into the Asset's working memory given a qualified, HYDRA-approved instructor, appropriate equipment and practice environment, 10 to 50 hours of practice and study time, one to four two-hour sleep cycles, and learning enhancement and sleep regulation compounds administered at the discretion of the maintenance technicians.

c) Language skills

The Asset is fluent in Russian, English, French, Arabic, and Spanish. It is conversant in Italian, German, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin, and many others. See the attached list for the Asset's current repertoire. Language acquisition requires on average 100 hours of practice and study time and twenty sleep-wake cycles to achieve conversational competence.

d) Technical skills

The Asset has rapidly adapted to a variety of technologies in past decades, most of which are now obsolete. Please brief it on any new technologies that may be encountered in the operational environment.

e) Intangible

Unlike purely mechanical assault assets, the Enhanced Manpower Asset displays creative problem solving to accomplish mission goals in the face of unforeseen obstacles. The Asset can estimate its own abilities and will critique your mission plan when requested.

2) Liabilities of the Enhanced Manpower Asset

a) Density

It is not recommended to request the Asset to swim long distances without floatation. The cybernetic components are water-resistant, but heavy, and the Asset's enhanced cardiovascular capacity demands a plentiful air supply. Consider the Asset's swimming distance restricted to 300 yards.

b) Post-revival limitations

Photosensitivity is an unavoidable short-term side effect of cryostasis reversal. If immediate mobilization is required, the Asset should be fitted with a pair of augmented-reality goggles dimmed to setting 2, 3, or 4 and the eyelids should be blackened.

c) Nutrition

The Asset requires 6000 Calories daily, 20% of which must be animal protein or equivalent.

d) Physical Conditioning

The Asset requires fifteen hours of physical activity for every 120 hours of active deployment. This may be in the form of close combat, foot pursuit, or kettlebell or gymnastic training.

e) Recuperation from injury

Should the Asset suffer injury, food or water deprivation, or other physiologic derangement that would impede future tasks, cryostasis must be delayed for such time as is required for recovery of its organic component. The Asset may have limited function during this time. To prevent behavioral instability, the Asset may be sedated during its recovery period, or, which is less dangerous and more cost effective, it may be instructed to pursue an intellectually stimulating but sedentary activity such as language acquisition or data analysis.

f) Interpersonal interaction

1) The Asset can mimic human behavior for brief intervals in restricted contexts. It should not be considered an infiltration agent. Intrinsic human behavioral patterns do emerge within the Asset, but these behaviors must be considered liabilities only (see next section). Be cognizant of the Asset's limitations when conversing with it.

2) When briefing the Asset, be sure to ask direct questions when its input is required. If an answer it gives is unclear or inadequate, patiently clarify your question. If it appears to be insubordinate, defer to the maintenance technicians as to whether an instance of behavioral instability has occurred.

3) Avoid designating personnel you consider valuable to be tactical support for the Asset. This role carries a high casualty rate.

g) Behavioral instability

The Asset has been conditioned by a complex and proprietary series of operant and associative conditioning protocols to display docility toward maintenance technicians, aggression toward the enemy, and commitment to mission goals. Maintaining this conditioning requires vigilance and intensive management.

1) It is your responsibility to report any of the following behaviors (with audio or video documentation if possible) to the maintenance technicians:

Speaking without being directly prompted to do soHesitation or confusionUse of vulgar or slang termsSpontaneous sleepUse of New York accented EnglishDeliberate destruction of property or persons beyond that necessary to achieve mission goalsScreamingIndividual attachment or grudges toward technicians, support personnel, personal protection subjects, targets, or you

2) Rectification of behavioral instability may require any of the following measures at the discretion of the maintenance technicians:

Repeat transcortical electrical stimulationSedationAudiovisual stimulation in combination with psychedelic and paralytic agentsPrefrontal lobotomyCancellation of your mission

3) The following routine maintenance procedures are scheduled to be performed to prevent behavioral instability:

Transcortical electrical stimulation before and after each cryostasis episodeCryostasis or sedation after every 120 hours of active deploymentPrefrontal lobotomy after every 60 days of active deployment

i. A neurological exam will be performed two hours after prefrontal lobotomy, after which the Asset should be provided with a rifle and a 500-yard shooting range for distance qualification

ii. The Asset should not be requested to perform close-quarters combat or to be suspended upside down for 48 hours of active deployment after prefrontal lobotomy

iii. Prefrontal lobotomy has never prevented mission completion in the past; do not interfere with the maintenance technicians should this procedure coincide with your mission date.

4) For your safety, avoid contact with the Asset during episodes of behavioral instability. Episodes have most frequently occurred in the following contexts:

Emergence from cryostasisImmediately before or after transcortical electrical stimulationAfter prolonged ( 10 days or longer) active deploymentAfter a mission irregularity such as failure, delay, or equipment malfunctionAfter a previous episode of behavioral instability

3) Task-specific considerations

a) Personal protection

It is no longer recommended to deploy the Asset for personal protection purposes for three reasons.

1) The Asset's personal presence is neither comforting nor subtle.

2) Past deployment of the Asset for personal protection has led to unusually high collateral damage to civilians and to the Asset itself; in short, the Asset became "overenthusiastic" when imprinted with personal protection missions.

3) Loss of a protection subject has led to unacceptable behavioral instability that persisted through two cycles of sedation and electroconvulsive therapy.

b) Long-distance assault

The Asset excels as a sniper. Allowing the Asset to use its natural problem-solving ability has often resulted in the Asset devising effective distance shots that obviated any need for physical engagement with targets assumed by mission planners to require close-quarters engagement to eliminate.

c) Chemical weapons

Instruct the technicians to outfit the Asset with the augmented reality goggles and low-profile filtration mask should chemical weapons such as tear gas be a potential hazard in the mission field. The equipment does not distract or inconvenience the Asset.

d) Assassination

The Asset is highly proficient in overt and covert assassination techniques, including staging of suicides and accidents, so long as prolonged interpersonal interaction is not necessary. Please brief the Asset in the surveillance and investigative capabilities available to the law-enforcement authorities likely to investigate the death of your target and allow the Asset flexibility in devising a plan of attack.

e) Intimidation

Should you wish to use the Asset to intimidate enemies, it is highly recommended that as much of its face be covered as possible, for example, by the low-profile filtration mask and augmented reality goggles. For this purpose also, please refrain from cutting the Asset's hair. Intimidation is not one of the Enhanced Manpower Asset's organic gifts. When properly outfitted in mask, goggles, and one-armed flak jacket, the Enhanced Manpower Asset is highly intimidating.

Restrictions

Please take a moment to contemplate the great trust that HYDRA has placed in you when you received custody of the Enhanced Manpower Asset and accoutrements. The Asset has served HYDRA and the USSR from the end of World War II through the dissolution of the Soviet Union to today. It is a masterful marksman and fighter of high intelligence and absolute loyalty capable of tolerating multiple cryostasis episodes without damage. It entered service in 1947 and remains as functional today as it was when it was first deployed. It has yet to be replaced. A crime against the Enhanced Manpower Asset is a crime against HYDRA and will be punished, from loss of security clearance to loss of promotion to personal liquidation to liquidation of immediate family. Show respect to HYDRA by observing the following restrictions:

1) Corporal Punishment

It is improper, ineffective, and ill-advised to use any form of physical assault as a means of behavioral rectification. The Asset has been largely inured to pain, behavioral rectification is the responsibility of the highly trained maintenance technicians, and if such techniques are employed during an episode of behavioral instability, loss of life or limb may occur. Corporal punishment of the Enhanced Manpower Asset will be punished according to the severity and premeditation of the act.

2) Sexual Contact

It is highly improper to pursue sexual contact with the Enhanced Manpower Asset, and it is a source of continued frustration to HYDRA that discipline of trusted HYDRA partners for offences in this context proves to be necessary with such regularity. While the Asset is capable of sexual acts, such activity carries an unacceptable risk of behavioral instability and demonstrates gross contempt for HYDRA's authority and property. A list of senior partners liquidated for misusing the Enhanced Manpower Asset in this way is provided for your interest. There is already an industry dedicated to providing anonymous sexual liaisons with unfeeling partners; if you can muster the resources to deploy the Enhanced Manpower Asset, you can afford to hire a professional for your personal needs.

3) Unsuitable Missions

HYDRA acknowledges that any mission requiring deployment of this Asset will be difficult and dangerous, carrying a risk that the Asset may become damaged or lost. It is your responsibility to provide support, such as personnel, weapons, and transportation, and to brief the Asset with all relevant intelligence to the best of your understanding. Withholding intelligence from the Asset is senseless, as the Asset has no personal motivations and receives regular transcortical electrostimulation to abolish historical memory. You are expected to exercise reasonable discretion as to the difficulty of the mission you present the Asset. If your negligence leads to damage to or loss of the Asset, compensation for the loss of the Asset, which has proven both indispensible and irreplaceable, will be extracted from you and your family.

4) Frivolous uses

In contrast to the activities discussed in section 2 of this topic, HYDRA is generally tolerant of use of the deployed asset for purposes not directly related to the establishment of the New World Order. Nevertheless, exercise good judgment.

a) Extraneous missions

On occasion, due to scheduling limitations, the Asset may remain active in the absence of an immediate task. During these times, it is acceptable to present the Asset with a mission of personal value to you. Personal missions provide the Asset with valuable field experience and prevent behavioral instability due to boredom. Use the phrase, "This is a mission of personal value to be accepted or declined," when briefing the Asset on your mission, and the Asset will accept or decline the mission according to its feasibility and the likelihood of interference with the primary mission. Presenting the Asset with a personal mission under false pretences is a flagrant misappropriation of HYDRA resources.

b) Idle activities

On occasion (see Using the Enhanced Manpower Asset section 3c) the Asset may be restricted from rigorous activity for long periods, or the mission design may include periods of idleness, for example during transportation. Intellectual stimulation or knowledge acquisition tasks during these periods reduce the risk of behavioral instability and are encouraged. Keep in mind that all acquired knowledge is not equal. Philosophy, aside from that approved by HYDRA, has proven dangerous. Frivolous knowledge and skills, while not harmful to the Asset, represent lost opportunity and reflect poorly on mission coordinators who oversaw the instruction. Teaching the Asset to use DOS was a noble effort that did not bear fruit due to technological advances. Teaching the Asset to read Sumerian was a vanity project, despite the fact that this skill proved indispensible in 1998. Teaching the Asset Klingon was perceived to be an act of veiled insubordination and was punished with a loss of security clearance.

Final Word

We hope that this document has acquainted you with the scope and scale of your responsibilities as temporary custodian of the Enhanced Manpower Asset. Please make use of the attached historical and technical documentation as appropriate.

Thank-you for dedicating your time, financial support, and intellectual energy toward the completion of a critical HYDRA mission. Your performance will be remembered at the establishment of the New World Order.

Proficiency. Loyalty. Silence.

Heil HYDRA!


End file.
